Scaffold-support



(No Model.)

T. J. SHAUGHNESSY.

SGAFFOLD SUPPORT. No. 290,487.-

' l Patented Dec; 18, 1883. 75 i WITNESSES-5 ATTORNEY UNHTE STATESA'rnlwr tries.

SCAFFOLD-SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 290,487, dated December18, 1883.

Application filed October}, 1888. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. Snauern N'EssY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Marshall, in the county of Saline and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inScaffold-Sup ports; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being bad tothe accompanying drawings, and to the letters andures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to improvements upon that class of adjustablescaffolds in use by plasterers, painters, and interior decorators, theobject being to produce an apparatus which, while retaining its portablecharacter, is readily adjusted to differentheights, so that the user maybe brought into the most desirable position inrelation to the work uponwhich he is engaged.

The invention may be said to consist, essentially, in the constructionsof a series of tripods, the legs of which are adjustable, so that theycan be spread apart or brought nearer together, thus raising or loweringthe apex of the tripod, which supports suitable bearers, upon which thescaffold-boards are laid, the whole being constructed and ar ranged ashereinafter described, with the points of the invention specificallystated in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters indicate likeparts in the several figures, Figure l is a perspective View of a pairof the tripods with the bearer or supporting-beam placed upon them. Fig.2 is a side view of one of the tripods. Fig. 3 is an end View of thesame, and Fig. 4. shows one of the tie-bars and the manner of itsconnection to the cross-bar of the tripod.

The tripods, which form the principal part of this invention, are eachcomposed of two legs, A A, of equal length, united and held at a certaindistance from each other by the crossbar B, which is firmly secured bybolts or otherwise at either end to one of the legs A. The upper ends ofthese legs are beveled and separated from each other sufliciently toreceive between them the movable leg 0, which forms the third leg of thetripod, and swings freely upon a bolt, a, pass ing through all threelegs at a point near the upper ends of the legs A. The leg 0 extendsupward beyond this pivotal point, and is bifurcated, forming a seat forthe reception of one end of the bearer D, the jaws of this bifurcationfitting snugly against the sides of the bearer and retaining it in itsposition without other fastening.

In order to retain the legs of the tripod in any desired position, andthereby control the height of the scaffold, a tie-bar, E, is employed,which is connected to the cross-bar B at one end by any suit-ableswivel-joint, and also to the leg 6 by means of a bolt, 1), passingthrough the leg and through one of aseries of holes formed in the bar E.It will be apparent that as the legs A A and G of the tripod are broughtnearer together the bifurcated end of the leg 0 will be elevated,consequently causing the bearers D, and the scaffold supported leg 0 ofthe tripod from the legs A A, the whole forming a reliable andeasily-adjusted scaffold-support for the purposes named.

I am aware that adjustable scaffold-supports are not new, and that theyhave been formed as tripods, two of the legs of which, extending abovethe others, formed side supports to the bearers, the legs of saidtripods being made longitudinally extensible in order to raise or lowerthe bearers, as in the patent to J. Gorman, J une 13, 1882, No. 259,530,andI do not therefore claim this construction. My scaffold supportsdiffer from this, in the bearer being held between the bifurcated jawsat the upper end of one of the legs, and the raising andlowering of theapex of the tripod being accomplished by narrowing or spreading itsbase.

Havingthus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to coverby Letters Patent of the United States, the following:

1. As an improvement inscaffold-supports, the combination of thebifurcated leg 0, legs A A, cross-bar B, and adjustable tie-barE, allarranged for joint operation in the manner shown and described.

2. The combination, in. a scaffold-support,

by them, to occupy ahigher or lower post tion, corresponding with thedistance of the of tripods constructed and operating {LS de- Intestimony whereof I affiX my signature in scribed, each havingabifurcated leg, 0, legs presence of two Witnesses. A A, hinged to leg 0at their upper ends, and

connected near the bottom by cross-barB and THOMAS SHAUGHNESSY' 5extension-bar E, the Whole carrying a bearer, WVitnesses:

D, to support the scaffold-boards, snbstan- DAN F. BELL,

tially as set forth. I HIRAM FERRIL.

